


Hybrid Vigor

by wheel_pen



Series: Khan AU [17]
Category: Sherlock (TV), Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-07 17:50:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5465516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wheel_pen/pseuds/wheel_pen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Enterprise encounters a ship drifting in space after a pirate attack. The survivors make a surprising impression on Khan and the Augments.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hybrid Vigor

**Author's Note:**

> The bad words are censored. That’s just how I do things.  
> I hope you enjoy this AU. I own nothing and appreciate the chance to play in this universe.

“Thoughts, Spock?” Kirk asked, staring pensively at the dark ship on the view screen.

“Hull damage suggests attack,” Spock noted dispassionately. “The lack of life signs suggests the attack was successful.”

Kirk grimaced. “Identity of the vessel, Mr. Sulu?”

“Markings indicate it comes from Bezos, sir,” the helmsman replied crisply. “About five-point-seven lightyears from here.”

“Bezos?” Kirk queried, glancing at Spock again.

“Federation contact ten-point-three years ago,” the First Officer supplied smoothly. Kirk was never sure if he had the information memorized or just managed to look it up quickly. “Little known but considered non-hostile.”

“Sir,” Uhura added from behind, and Kirk turned his chair slightly towards her. “I’m picking up some local chatter about increased pirate activity in the area.”

That was probably who had gotten this unfortunate cargo ship. “Keep a sharp eye on those scanners, Mr. Chekhov,” Kirk warned, though that comment was largely unnecessary. His crew knew what to do.

“Yes, sir,” Chekhov assured him anyway.

Kirk was already standing. “Have McCoy meet me in the transporter room,” he ordered as Spock slid into his vacated chair. “Oh, ask Khan if any of them want to come along.”

“Yes, sir,” someone answered, and Kirk disappeared into the lift.

**

“New mission,” Khan announced to those Augments who happened to be in the cargo bay. “Ship adrift, possible pirate attack, no life signs.”

“What are we going to do?” Gary asked in confusion.

“Explore,” Khan told him with a shrug. “See what’s left aboard.”

“To scavenge?” Varg guessed with some interest.

Hadassah snorted. “As if. Kirk doesn’t _scavenge_. He probably wants to make sure everyone gets a nice funeral.” Clearly she didn’t see the point.

“It’s a chance to see an alien vessel,” Khan noted. “And probably aliens, albeit dead. Do whatever Kirk says. Volunteers?”

“I’ll go,” Moira offered.

“And me,” echoed Cho.

Khan shook his head at the man. “No, you went last time. Someone new.” He looked at the faces gathered around, easily recalling how many times each had left the ship and when—he tried to keep it evenly distributed, so they could all experience this new universe. “Ariel.”

The blond man had been leaning against the wall just outside the circle, present physically but not mentally, and he looked up suddenly. “I’d rather not.”

Occasionally, Khan allowed this. But not now, with him. “Transporter room,” he replied, ignoring Ariel’s objection ( _and_ his irritated response). “I’ll come as well.” Whether this was supposed to be inducement or further punishment was entirely a matter of opinion.

**

Kirk’s usual boarding party in situations like these consisted of just himself, McCoy, and however many security officers Spock insisted upon, which in this case was two. Four total, small and tidy. Lately he often expanded that to include a couple of Augments—they seemed to like seeing new places, and Kirk had to admit they often came in handy. What they lacked in experience in this century they tended to make up for in random useful knowledge, fresh perspectives, and greater strength. He wouldn’t knowingly take them into a firefight yet, but they didn’t shy away from the unknown or the unpleasant, both of which Kirk assumed they’d encounter here.

He glanced up as the three Augments entered the transporter room, including Khan himself. Moira Kirk knew as calm and reliable, but Ariel was still struggling to adjust to his new life and Kirk didn’t have a good handle on him yet. He tended to be more of the brooding loner type. Kirk assumed Khan was there to keep an eye on him and started modifying an additional phaser.

“They’re locked to stun,” he warned as they were passed out. It didn’t seem to offend the Augments anymore, nor had the lack of killing firepower been an issue for them. On the spot Kirk more or less trusted them, but he couldn’t imagine writing in a report that he’d given them an unlimited weapon. “Everyone ready?” They indicated yes and the party climbed onto the transporter platform. “Could be messy, bodies and open panels,” Kirk warned, “so don’t touch anything.”

“Understood,” Khan assured him.

“But no life signs?” Moira checked.

Kirk shook his head. “There’s no sign of the attackers now, but don’t wander off, in case we have to transport back quickly.”

“Yes, Captain,” Moira replied, while Khan rolled his eyes and Ariel just seemed ticked off to be there.

This was already going so well.

“Energize,” Kirk ordered, and the world began to dissolve around him.

When it resolidified the first thing he noticed was the smell, acrid like burning ozone. The alien cargo ship was dim, with only occasional emergency lighting flickering, and indeed the walls and equipment had been torn apart, shorn of any valuable materials.

Which additionally suggested there was no one left to effect repairs.

“Life support is barely holding,” McCoy reported, gazing at his tricorder.

“We probably won’t be here long,” Kirk predicted. “Which way?”

“Organic material this way,” McCoy replied, indicating a corridor.

Kirk went first, followed by Moira and a security officer, then McCoy, then the other security officer. Ariel with Khan behind him brought up the rear, and Kirk was relieved to note the blond man at least looked alert and focused now.

“Seems like we’re heading for the bridge,” Kirk suggested.

“This is blood, I think,” McCoy pointed out evenly, indicating a large splotch of purple on the wall. It had dripped down to puddle on the floor and a trail led in the same direction they were headed.

“The bodies were moved from where they were killed,” Khan surmised. “Why?”

Kirk grimaced, several unpleasant possibilities coming to mind. “Let’s keep moving.”

They opened a set of doors cautiously, then entered the bridge of the cargo ship. It was wrecked, with smashed consoles, charred panels, and sparking wires everywhere. About a dozen bodies were laid out on the floor, purple blood congealed around them. McCoy glanced at Kirk and shook his head, confirmation that they were all dead.

Kirk put his phaser away. “Chumash, see if you can get the lights working,” he ordered one security officer. “Tau, look for any logs or sensor reports.” Moira followed the security officers, looking over their shoulders curiously to see how they operated an alien vessel, while Khan joined McCoy in crouching over the bodies. Ariel, now that there was apparently no threat to watch for, leaned against the wall at the back, disengaged.

“Jim, look at this,” McCoy summoned, after Kirk had made his initial report back to Spock.

“These are Bezosians?” he asked of the bodies.

“I think so, but they’re two different species,” McCoy told him, his tone suggesting this was remarkable. “Their hereditary material indicates they’re from the same planet, but you can see the differences yourself.” All the bodies looked humanoid, but some were short and stocky, while others were tall and slender. Nothing Kirk would’ve noticed on his own, though—it seemed like a normal amount of variation to him.

“Is that common?” Khan asked with interest. “To have two intelligent species develop on the same planet?”

“Usually by the time they achieve space flight you can’t tell anymore,” McCoy admitted. The lights flickered, then brightened suddenly as Chumash powered them up. “They’ve either interbred to make one species, or one’s annihilated the other.”

“Typical,” Khan scoffed, as if his own spin-off species hadn’t annihilated quite a lot of humans.

“I’ve got the logs downloaded, sir,” Tau reported. “Definitely a pirate attack.”

“Good, start transmitting the sensor data so Sulu knows what to look out for,” Kirk ordered. “You ready to head back?” he prompted McCoy. Hanging around a ravaged ship full of dead bodies was not his idea of a good time.

McCoy stood. “Yeah, there’s nothing else we can do here—“

He paused as Khan tensed alertly, and Kirk followed his gaze, which was on Ariel. The blond man had also tensed alertly, as if he was listening to something. Carefully Kirk eased his phaser back out, nodding at his security officers.

Stealthily Ariel crouched, head cocked towards the floor, and his spread his fingers across the panels as if sensing something. Kirk glanced at McCoy, who aimed his tricorder at the floor region, but the doctor shook his head; he wasn’t detecting anything unusual. Moira and Khan crept closer to Ariel’s position, however, and then Ariel found something at the edge of one panel. Khan gave him the nod and Ariel wedged his fingers underneath, and the floor panel popped up with a hiss.

McCoy’s tricorder beeped. “Multiple life signs,” he reported. “There must be some kind of shielding—“

Kirk was already over at the hatch that had been revealed. “A smuggler’s hold,” he guessed. Undetectable to most scans, it would be a good way to bring in contraband goods—or hide from a pirate attack. “Hello? Is anyone down there?” Kirk called, careful not to lean over the hole and make himself a target. “We won’t hurt you, we’re here to help—“

“They’re very small,” McCoy relayed quizzically. “They could be—“ There was a burble like a baby’s cry.

“Children,” Khan finished, just as Ariel incautiously jumped into the darkness. Kirk and Khan both jerked to stop him, but silently, wanting to hear what the response was.

“It’s okay, we won’t hurt you, we found your ship—“ Ariel was saying.

“Torch,” Kirk ordered, and was handed a light to shine down, tipping over precariously to see in. Khan grabbed his shoulder to keep him from falling in, but Kirk was more focused on the small faces he glimpsed in the darkness. “It’s okay, come out,” he encouraged.

Kirk backed up as the crying started and a moment later Ariel reappeared with a little blond girl in his arms, a toddler by Earth standards. Her face was purple with crying and the sound echoed off the deck plating.

“Got her,” Kirk said, taking the child and passing her on to McCoy.

A little boy, slightly older, was next. “Chumash, turn the lights back down,” Kirk instructed, thinking of the carnage at the front of the bridge. The kids didn’t need to see that.

A girl’s head popped up through the hatch but she resisted efforts to lift her up. “You will not be harmed, I promise,” Khan informed her solemnly. “You’re safe now.”

“No, get the others out first,” she insisted, pulling another child into her spot. She seemed older than the others, or at least calmer. “Are the pirates gone?”

“Yes, for now,” Khan answered before Kirk could. “But we must get you to our ship for medical attention.”

“How long have you been down there?” Kirk asked her, as another child came up. Moira and the security officers were helping to wrangle them on the dim bridge as McCoy examined them.

“I don’t know,” the girl admitted. “Maybe a couple days. What about our parents?”

“They’re dead,” Khan replied, before Kirk could say it more diplomatically. The girl didn’t seem surprised, however, but just nodded wearily.

“How many of you are there?” Kirk asked as another child emerged with Ariel’s help. They all seemed fairly young.

“Nine,” the girl told him. “Our parents hid us here with some food after the attack got bad…”

“You were very clever to remain undetected,” Khan judged. “What’s your name?”

“Isannah.”

“I’m Captain Kirk,” Kirk introduced, as the girl finally left the hold, last of the children. “This is Dr. McCoy, he’s going to take you back to our ship for help.”

“I’ll go, too,” Ariel volunteered. He seemed very comfortable holding two of the younger kids in his arms, messy and sobbing though they were.

“I am Khan,” Khan added, when no one else was going to. “You will be safe with us.”

“Whoa there, son, come back here,” McCoy said, reaching for one rambunctious young boy who had made a break for it.

“Ruffin!” Isannah chided, chasing after him.

McCoy caught the boy’s shoulder, which should have been enough to stop an ordinary four-year-old; but instead the doctor stumbled after him like he was holding a bull on a leash. Kirk moved to block and it felt like a small but determined cargo loader had just crashed into his knees. He scooped the boy up and winced as he was kicked.

“Hey, calm down, we aren’t going to hurt you,” Kirk tried to tell him. “Kid’s got muscles,” he remarked to McCoy, trying not to get punched.

“Ruffin! Ruffin, it’s okay, these are friends,” Isannah said, hopping into his eyeline from the ground.

“Want Ama!” Ruffin insisted stubbornly. Kirk assumed this referred to a parent; sadly his request could not be fulfilled.

“I’ll take him,” Khan offered, and Kirk was happy to relinquish the feisty boy. “Are you staying here?”

“Yeah, I think we better look around a little more,” Kirk decided. Since they’d already found one cache of hidden survivors. “Isannah, how many adults were on the ship?”

She thought a moment. “Twelve.” McCoy gave a nod from where he was corralling more kids—that matched the number of bodies found.

“And there’s no other kids?” Kirk asked her. “No one else on the ship?” She shook her head confidently, but Kirk thought it wouldn’t hurt to double-check.

“Moira, stay and assist Kirk,” Khan commanded. McCoy placed a second child in his arms and ordered a slightly older one to hang on to Khan’s pant leg. With Ariel similarly laden that left McCoy free to herd the remaining, older children into position.

“ _Enterprise_ , this is McCoy,” the doctor announced. “Wide-beam transport around my position, three adults and nine kids. Beam directly to Sickbay.”

As McCoy’s party dissolved into sparkles Kirk contacted Spock again _. “I assume the situation has become more complicated, Captain_ ,” Spock remarked dryly.

“Yeah,” Kirk sighed. “Get Scotty over here to get this ship up and running, and more Security so we can sweep it for anomalies. And some Forensics.” Someone had to deal with the bodies, and McCoy seemed busy.

“ _Yes, Captain_ ,” Spock agreed. “ _No sign of any approaching ships. I presume your plan is to tow the cargo ship back to Bezos?_ ”

“Yeah, that’s what I was thinking,” Kirk confirmed. “Go over the logs in case there’s anything useful.” Now that they were going to Bezos anyway, to take the children home, they might as well take the ship and bodies, too, instead of leaving them there for scavenger bait.

“ _Understood, sir_.”

**

When he was back on board—having found no additional surprises on the cargo ship—Kirk headed to Sickbay to see how McCoy was getting along. The place was busy but not frantic. One corner had been fenced off for the youngest children, who were happily playing with some toys—and Augments. Ariel was stretched out on the floor patiently stacking blocks for a little girl, and he smiled when she gleefully knocked them over. Kirk had never seen him smile before. Bastet was sitting at a table helping a couple of other children color, while Isannah was entertaining Khan, Ruby, _and_ Hamish, or so it appeared. As the oldest and most articulate of the children she had become their spokesperson.

“…and Evanthia is allergic to _sodana_ ,” she was explaining as Hamish took notes.

“What’s _sodana_?” Khan questioned.

“It’s a kind of food. Um, they’re like seeds from plants,” Isannah described. “They’re hard and crunchy.”

“Maybe they’re like nuts,” Ruby guessed.

“Hello, Captain,” Hamish greeted when he saw Kirk watching them. “Would it be possible to connect to a Bezosian database? It would help us learn more about the children’s medical needs.”

“Uhura might be able to tap into the cargo ship’s computer core,” Kirk suggested, sending her a message. “We haven’t heard back from Bezos yet, so no use asking them anything else. How are you doing, Isannah?”

“Oh, I’m much better, thank you,” Isannah replied politely. “I guess I don’t know what we were going to do, if you hadn’t come along.” She scratched listlessly at a screen with a color-stick.

“You would have thought of something,” Kirk decreed confidently.

“Ask him your question, about his name,” Ruby prompted with a smile.

“What question?” Kirk encouraged.

“What name did your parents give you, that they don’t also have?” Isannah asked him curiously.

The phrasing threw Kirk a little. “Your first name,” Hamish whispered.

“Oh. It’s _James_ ,” Kirk revealed.

“So you’re Captain James, then,” Isannah designated. “That’s how we do it, anyway.”

“I think more properly he would be Captain Jim,” Khan corrected, straight-faced. “Jim is a nickname for James.”

“I’m Miss Ruby!” Ruby told him brightly. But then she frowned and put her arm around Isannah, who looked suddenly downcast.

“My apa calls me Izzy sometimes, as a nickname,” she said softly. “Used to call,” she corrected, and Ruby hugged her.

“I’m really sorry about your parents,” Kirk told her. “Actually my dad died when I was a baby, so I never knew him.”

“Maybe it’s better that way,” Isannah suggested sagely. She looked over at the youngest kids, who were happily playing. “They don’t know that they should be sad.”

Kirk had never quite thought of it that way before—usually losing your father so young was seen as a _bad_ thing, but it was true, he had no memories to miss. Only the impossible legend his mother had built up in his mind, that Admiral Pike had challenged him to beat. All of a sudden it was the Admiral he missed, the man who’d been his most effective father figure.

Wait, Khan killed him. Best not go there right now.

“So,” Kirk went on, clearing his throat and _not_ looking at Khan, “do you know about your family on Bezos? Do you have grandparents maybe, or aunts and uncles?”

Isannah looked uncertain and Kirk prepared to explain the family relationships, in case they had different ones. “I don’t think they like us there,” she replied slowly.

Kirk frowned and glanced at the others, but they didn’t seem to know any more. “What? Why wouldn’t they like you?”

Isannah shrugged a little. “Ama said once, we couldn’t go back, because people wouldn’t like us.”

Kirk relaxed a little. “Oh, well, maybe that was just your parents,” he suggested. Something political, or even criminal—they did have a smuggler’s hold, after all. “I’m sure people couldn’t dislike _you_ guys, you’re just kids.”

“I’m sure they’re very eager to see you and know you’re alright,” Ruby reassured her.

“And we’ll be there in just a few days,” Hamish added. Towing the cargo ship would slow them down but Kirk felt the gesture was worth it.

McCoy appeared behind them. “Hey guys, how’s it going?” he asked, his gaze directed at Isannah. “Are you hungry, kiddo?” She shook her head but this was clearly the wrong answer. “Oh come on, just one nutrient bar,” he tempted, dangling it in front of her. “It’s strawberry.”

“What’s strawberry?” Isannah asked in confusion.

“A delicious fruit,” Khan proclaimed, taking the nutrient bar from McCoy. “If you don’t want it, I’ll eat it.” He started to unwrap the package.

“Well… maybe I could have a little,” Isannah conceded, and Khan allowed her to break off part. “Thank you, Doctor Leonard.”

McCoy tried to hide his cringe at the use of his given name, which he was not overly fond of, and Kirk smirked. “You should call him Doctor Bones,” he suggested, standing. “That’s his nickname.” McCoy gave him an aggrieved look.

“Dr. Bones,” Isannah tested, and McCoy pasted a smile on his face. “Thank you, Captain Jim!”

“Sure thing. Don’t wear these three out,” he warned Isannah of the Augments. “Remember, they need their rest.” She nodded seriously and the Augments, he trusted, got his point.

Kirk followed McCoy to his office, shutting the door behind them. “Dr. Bones and Captain Jim,” McCoy groused. “Are we on a riverboat now?”

“Kids are cute,” Kirk countered, which he knew the doctor didn’t fundamentally disagree with. “How are they?”

“Pretty good, as far as I can tell,” McCoy replied cautiously. “They’re a little malnourished and dehydrated, but no injuries.”

“The Augments seem to be helping.”

“Yes.” McCoy did not appear annoyed by this. “Those kids are _strong_ , they’ve been giving my staff bruises just on accident.”

“Yeah, I’ve got some good ones from that one kid,” Kirk agreed.

“Doesn’t seem to bother the Augments,” McCoy shrugged. “And Ariel’s perked up a lot.” Kirk got the feeling it wasn’t Augment mental health McCoy had wanted to discuss with him, though. “So, funny thing—you know how the crew consisted of two different species from the same planet? Even split, half and half. All the kids are hybrids.”

“Huh.” Kirk wasn’t really sure of the significance there. “Well, they’re not really different species, then, right? If they can have kids. Well, maybe they used a lab,” he added, thinking of Spock.

“The definition of a species is fluid,” McCoy dismissed. “On Earth related species mate all the time, like dogs and wolves. Or early humans and Neanderthals, which is a better analogy.”

“Does this mean there’s anything wrong with the kids?” Kirk asked. They seemed okay to him.

“No, just kind of curious,” McCoy replied. “I’ve been doing some sequencing of their hereditary material and all the adults are what you might call purebred, no signs of any admixture in their recent lineage. So it doesn’t seem to be a common thing.”

Sometimes McCoy liked his science mysteries a little too much, Kirk decided. The sign of a good scientist, he supposed. “Well, when we get to Bezos you can ask. Anything else?”

“Hold your horses, I’m getting to the point,” McCoy assured him dryly, well aware of his lack of interest. “The kids have unusual bone structure.” He pulled up a diagram for Kirk. “Their bones are basically hollow, like an Earth bird’s, but extremely strong—imagine steel tubes make up their skeleton. Plus considerably more muscle mass than humans, but structured to be very compact, that’s why they look slim.”

“And why they’re strong?” Kirk guessed.

McCoy nodded. “Neither parent is like that. One species has strong, heavy bones with a robust musculature. The other has light bones with a lower muscle mass, but greater cranial capacity.”

“It really _is_ kind of like _Homo sapiens_ and Neanderthals.”

McCoy rolled his eyes at Kirk’s tone. “Don’t disrespect Neanderthals,” he countered. “The latest research shows they had art and toolmaking just like early humans, they just couldn’t adapt as fast.”

Kirk decided to leave that debate up to the experts. “Well, let me know if you have any problems.”

“Will do.”

**

“Mr. Khan! Mr. Khan!”

Khan looked back down the hall to see Isannah running after him. “It’s just Khan,” he reminded her fruitlessly. Captain Jim was amusing, Mr. Khan merely inaccurate. She ignored his comment and caught his hand in her own, easy and unburdened with knowledge of his past—she had enough burdens of her own. “You shouldn’t be wandering the ship,” he admonished. “In an emergency you might be lost or injured.”

“Oh, I know where to go,” Isannah assured him. “Apa says I’m a very good navigator.” She didn’t correct the verb but her face clouded over, and Khan wasn’t sure what to do about that.

“Why do you lack supervision?” he asked instead.

“I was—Mr. Khan, could you slow down, please?” She was trotting to keep up with him.

Khan didn’t want to slow down to a child’s pace, even an unusually intelligent child. “May I carry you?” he inquired instead, and Isannah smiled and held up her arms. She felt light to Khan, smaller than a human child her age, but apparently she was very resilient. “You were telling me why you’re unsupervised,” he prompted, once she was settled and he could move with his preferred stride.

“I was with Miss Ruby, playing with Kitty Edna,” Isannah explained. “Kitty Edna doesn’t like Sickbay. So Miss Ruby said I could return on my own.” Khan frowned, thinking it unwise of Ruby to just dismiss the child. “She was watching some of the others,” Isannah added, sensing his disapproval.

“Ah.” Ruby’s nurturing impulses were finally getting a true outlet.

“But I wanted to know, when do you think we’ll reach Bezos?” she continued, sounding slightly apprehensive.

“It may be a few days yet,” Khan replied. He was not of course privy to Kirk’s navigational plans but he put together what tidbits he could. “Diverting around the nebula has lengthened our route.”

“Mr. Khan, what do you do on the ship?” Isannah persisted, jumping easily to a new topic. “You’re not the doctor like Dr. Bones or the communicator like Lt. Nyota or the helmsman like Lt. Hikaru—“

It took him a millisecond to translate her names to the ones he was familiar with. “The Augments are passengers,” he told her smoothly. “We are going to an uninhabited planet to start a colony.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” Isannah enthused. “How long until you get there?”

“Unknown. The planet has not yet been chosen.”

Isannah nodded. “Ama said it would be nice if we had a planet,” she revealed wistfully. “But the cargo ship was all we could afford, and there weren’t any suitable planets close by. If it’s uninhabited, won’t it be awfully hard to make a living there?”

“Augments are strong,” Khan assured her. “And there are seventy-three of us in total. Most of us are still asleep. We will survive.” He looked forward to the challenge, but had come to agree with Kirk that the planets they’d found so far were too close to other space-faring species to grant Augments the isolation they required. Enough pointless side trips for diplomacy and deliveries then, Khan felt. Time to plunge into the wilderness.

“Why are most of them asleep?” Isannah wanted to know.

“We’re easier to carry that way.” Khan had no trouble pushing aside other reasons. “We take up less space and don’t require food or activities.”

“Do you have any children?”

“No. Perhaps we will have some before we land.” He was never sure how serious Kirk was about allowing it.

As they turned a corner an unpleasant noise was heard, a wail of pure fury. “Shayla’s having a temper tantrum,” Isannah predicted. “Apa says it’s just frustration at being unable to communicate yet.”

“I feel she’s communicating very well,” Khan countered dryly as the little blond girl came into view. She was face down on the carpet, kicking her feet and pounding her fists, venting her feelings with vigor. Ariel was leaning against the wall nearby, his back to her, perusing a datapad in his hand, or pretending to.

Khan stopped beside him and raised an eyebrow. Ariel was not flustered. “She has a strong personality,” he noted.

“True,” Khan agreed, and also turned his back on the squalling toddler. “Don’t pay attention to her,” he advised Isannah. “It will stop sooner.”

“Do _I_ have a strong personality?” she asked.

“Yes, you’re a natural leader,” Khan judged, which made her straighten proudly in his arms.

“Today we don’t want to eat broccoli,” Ariel remarked casually, and Khan nodded.

“The flavor is often unpalatable to children,” he noted. “But it must be eaten, as it is nutritious.”

“Which one is broccoli, Mr. Ariel?” Isannah wanted to know.

“The little green trees,” he replied, and she wrinkled her nose. They were just around the corner from the mess hall.

“You ate broccoli,” Khan reminded her.

“But I didn’t like it.”

“Nonetheless, a temper tantrum is not the appropriate response.” Isannah nodded dubiously. “Here comes Kirk,” Khan warned. “He’ll have a temper tantrum of his own.”

After a moment Kirk hurried around the corner, seeking the source of the noise. Both Khan and Ariel adopted superior expressions, a move Kirk was sure they practiced. “What is going on? What’s wrong with her?”

“Nothing is _wrong_ , Kirk,” Khan assured him patronizingly. “We would certainly have called for assistance if something was _wrong_.”

“Shayla didn’t want to eat her broccoli, Captain Jim,” Isannah supplied brightly.

“It’s a neurotypical response,” Ariel added.

This was not good enough for Kirk. “Well, stop her!” he insisted. Surely it was obvious that a crying child should be encouraged _not_ to cry?

Not to Augments, apparently. “Attempting to appease her would only reward her poor behavior,” Khan explained. “Turn around, don’t look at her.” He gave Kirk’s shoulder a slight push.

Kirk turned, making four of them with their backs to the toddler. “She’s tearing holes in the carpet,” he complained.

Ariel glanced back over his shoulder to check. “Your carpet is rather fragile for such a high-traffic area,” he observed, which Kirk assumed was his way of agreeing.

“Isn’t she going to stop soon?” Kirk persisted. “How long is this supposed to go on?” Khan couldn’t really put his back to _both_ of them, much as he would like to.

Shayla quieted to hiccups and Ariel immediately turned around, crouching on the ground beside her. “What’s wrong, pretty girl?” he cooed in such an unexpected tone of voice that Kirk risked a peek. Ariel helped the little girl to stand and brushed her hair back from her face. “Were you angry?” She nodded. “It’s okay to be angry. But we mustn’t yell and kick when we get angry.”

Kirk glanced at Khan to see if he was taking any lesson from this. Ariel stood and held out his hand to the little girl, who grasped it readily. “Let’s go back to the table.” Together they toddled off. Then Khan turned on Kirk as if to say, ‘And why are you still standing here?’

“There’s holes in the carpet,” Kirk repeated with a grumble, before leaving.

“He cares deeply about his ship and crew,” Khan informed Isannah, resuming his walk to Sickbay. “That is a sign of a good leader, though not the _only_ quality one needs.” Isannah nodded dutifully.

**

Bezos was a pretty blue-green world, rather like Earth, though with only two small continents situated on opposite sides of the globe from each other. Uhura had been messaging back and forth to make sure that when the _Enterprise_ appeared in orbit, the proper governmental figure was available to assist them, and briefed on the issues.

“Open a channel,” Kirk told her. The turbolift admitted Khan and Hamish to the Bridge, where they stood off to the side waiting curiously. “This is Captain James T. Kirk of the Federation starship _Enterprise_ ,” he announced.

A figure appeared on the screen. “ _This is Ertos Flen_ ,” he replied, with the sort of polite distance that seemed universal among bureaucrats. “ _Captain James, on behalf of the Bezosian government, we thank you for the return of our ship and its crew_.”

Kirk accepted this solemnly. “Unfortunately we were too late to help the adults,” he reiterated. “Can we transport the bodies to you?”

“ _You can leave them on the ship, we’ll send a tow vessel for it_ ,” Ertos replied instead. “ _No need to go to any more trouble on our behalf_.”

“Have you managed to contact the victims’ families?” Kirk inquired. “I imagine they’ll be glad to see the children in good health, at least.”

At this, Ertos looked distinctly uncomfortable, which caught Kirk’s attention. “ _Ah yes, the children_ ,” he repeated, in a stalling sort of way. “ _Well, it’s a bit awkward, you see_ …” Kirk did not see. “ _I don’t suppose you’d like to just… keep them?_ ”

Kirk blinked. “Keep them?” he echoed, wondering if the UT had suddenly gotten scrambled. From Ertos’s body language he didn’t really think so, though.

“ _Well there’s really no place for them here_ ,” the administrator claimed, trying to convey that this was no big deal.

It seemed like a rather big deal to Kirk. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” he stated. “Weren’t you able to contact the families of the crew?”

“ _Oh yes, from the manifest you sent, we were able to let them know the sad news_ ,” Ertos agreed quickly. “ _Such a tragedy! Pirates have really become a menace to long-haul shipping_ —“

Did he think Kirk was just going to _forget_ about the nine kids he had on board? “Excuse me,” Kirk cut in, with rather strained politeness. “And you let them know there were children? And no one wanted to take the children in?” Was it a terribly impoverished world, or overcrowded—

“ _The thing is, Captain James_ ,” Ertos attempted to explain, but the bar was set pretty high now, “ _although of course it was quite compassionate of you to rescue them, and naturally I wouldn’t want any harm to have befallen them_ —“ Kirk conveyed the universal facial expression for ‘get on with it.’

“ _There’s no place for them in our society_ ,” Ertos stated simply. “ _They’re hybrids between the two sentient species on our planet. Their parents knew their relationships went against every natural law of our society, that’s why they went off-world to live. Now that they’re dead, there’s no one who would be willing to take in these… deviant children_.”

He sounded very matter-of-fact now and Kirk could just _feel_ McCoy getting livid behind him—though that was nothing compared to the outrage he could feel pouring off Khan and Hamish. He tried not to glance off to the side at them, as that was considered poor view screen etiquette.

“ _I mean, poor things, I feel quite sorry for them_ ,” Ertos went on, obliviously. “ _Not their fault, of course. But their parents really should have considered what might happen to them, before bringing them into this world_.”

It was not Kirk’s place to tell another society they were being stupid. That wasn’t quite the Prime Directive but more of a diplomacy thing. “So you’re saying you _don’t_ want the children,” he checked, just in case.

“ _That’s right_ ,” Ertos agreed. He seemed relieved to have the idea out in the open. “ _You’re quite welcome to keep them, I have the release forms_ —“

“We can’t keep them,” Kirk interrupted, daring a glance at the Augments. Hamish was pale with emotion and Khan had dented the back of the chair he gripped. “We’re a starship for deep space exploration, we don’t have families on board—“

Ertos looked disappointed. “ _Ah. Well, I was afraid that might be the case_ ,” he admitted. “ _There’s an orphanage in the Islands that will take them, I suppose_.” Kirk started to relax. “ _Though what will become of them later, I don’t know_ ,” Ertos went on pessimistically. “ _Please don’t think us irrationally biased, Captain—_ “ Oh, too late. “— _the hybrids really_ are _a threat to our society_.”

“Oh?” Kirk managed to remark neutrally. It was only slightly strangled.

“ _Yes, you see, they’re physically stronger than either species alone_ ,” Ertos explained. “ _By quite a bit. If they become violent they’re hard to stop. And studies show that they do have a tendency towards maladjustment_ —“ There was a _crunch_ off to the side, which Kirk feared was Khan breaking something. Spock hustled the Augments off to the conference room but Kirk thought maybe it was time to check on them.

“Well, let me think this over and get back to you,” Kirk told Ertos, trying to sound noncommittal.

The man smiled, though, like he was strongly expecting a favorable outcome—one where he didn’t have to deal with unnatural, inconvenient children. “ _Of course, Captain James! We’ll send a tow vessel for the cargo ship right away_.”

“Okay, good.” Kirk cut the man off with his own switch and launched from his chair, McCoy following to the conference room and Sulu sliding smoothly into the vacated seat.

As soon as the door opened Khan was shouting at him. “Kirk, you cannot possibly _contemplate_ giving the children over to that—“ No insult was strong enough for Khan.

“Captain, it really does seem like the children won’t be treated well—“ Hamish cut in. He was obviously trying to be a little more reasonable but his sincerity, even desperation, was no less than Khan’s.

“They’re afraid of the children because they’re stronger, better, they see them as a threat to their complacent and irrational society—“

“It is you who are being irrational, Khan,” Spock pointed out coolly, while Kirk quietly sent for Ruby. “You are drawing parallels to your own experience with little evidence.”

“Then let’s discuss _your_ experience as a hybrid, Mr. Spock,” Khan retorted sharply. “Would you call your childhood pleasant? Even in such an _enlightened_ society as Vulcan—“

“Okay, come on—“ Kirk tried to interrupt, thinking that was a little mean.

“My own experience is not relevant here,” Spock stated. “Nor is yours. We must deal with the facts of the current situation.”

“Captain, I think it’s pretty clear they don’t _want_ the children,” Hamish pressed. “They won’t be taken care of, they won’t have a place as adults—“

“Everywhere people fear what is different,” Khan spat in disgust. “They isolate and ostracize those they don’t understand, make up reasons to cover their insecurity—“

“Khan, you guys started wars, okay?” Kirk pointed out, absurdly trying to be gentle. The Augment was obviously taking this very personally.

“Not as children, Captain,” Hamish reminded him. “As children we were innocent, like these children are, like our children were—“ He turned away, trying to compose himself.

At that moment, finally, Ruby walked in. “Oh dear,” she commented, assessing the situation. “What’s wrong?”

“They don’t want the children,” Khan told her succinctly. In her presence he seemed less murderous, but the cold fury still burned in his eyes. “As hybrids their society shuns them. They wouldn’t go to family, at best an orphanage.”

“They outright offered to let the Captain keep them,” Hamish added.

Ruby was getting upset herself now. “Their families don’t _want_ them?” she repeated in distress, putting Kirk on alert. Hamish hugged her close. “But they’re just children, where are they supposed to go?”

“Well, the orphanage—“ Kirk repeated, and everyone turned to look at him. “Hey, it might be a nice place. It doesn’t have to be, like, a Dickensian workhouse.”

“He said the children have no place in their society,” Khan reminded him harshly. “How well do you think they’ll be treated? What will happen to them as adults?”

“Look, I’m not happy about it, either,” Kirk snapped. Why was everyone acting like this was _his_ fault? It was just that Kirk saw two thorny problems—should they hand the kids over or not, and if not, what else would they do with them? “Bones?” he asked, a little desperately.

The doctor seemed to be having as difficult a time with it as Kirk was. “If I thought the kids were going to be mistreated, I couldn’t in good conscience hand them over,” he finally suggested. “A wanted criminal facing execution could ask for sanctuary aboard our ship.”

That seemed more hopeful to Kirk. But then Spock cut in, “They are _not_ wanted criminals facing execution, Doctor. Their fate may be less than ideal but it hardly rises to the level of ‘cruel and unusual punishment’ specified by Federation asylum guidelines.”

“And they’re not _wanted_ at all,” Hamish pointed out. “Doesn’t that change anything, Captain? He _said_ we could have them, he had the release papers ready! They won’t be upset to not have the children.” In fact they would probably be rather relieved.

But that led to Kirk’s second question. “But what would _we_ do with them?” he asked the room. “Okay, yeah, if they were adults we wouldn’t make them go back, we’d drop them off at a port somewhere and say, ‘Have a nice life.’ But kids have to be _looked_ after.”

“There may be other off-world communities of hybrids who would take them in—“ Spock began to suggest.

“That guy would’ve _said_ , though, he was so eager to be rid of them,” McCoy pointed out sharply. “Anyway no hand-to-mouth cargo vessel trying to avoid pirates is going to want nine extra mouths to feed!”

“That is merely an assumption on your part, Doctor, which should be investigated before—“

“ _We_ will take them,” Khan interrupted, staring hard at Kirk.

Kirk did not like that look. “You guys will look after the kids?” he rephrased. Somehow he was not surprised by the offer, only by how long it took to come up. “The Augments?”

“Yes,” Khan confirmed. Kirk didn’t need to ask Hamish and Ruby if they agreed, the answer was obvious on their faces. “We will apportion them among the Augments who are awake. We will be responsible for them, and take them to our planet when the time comes.”

Kirk could see Khan thought this was the perfect solution, but he still had doubts. “They’ll still be on the ship,” he pointed out. “We’re not built for that, things can be dangerous here—“

“As dangerous as life on an undefended cargo ship?” Hamish countered.

“I said we will be responsible for them, Kirk,” Khan repeated, his tone a touch patronizing now. Sadly Kirk found this return to normalcy comforting.

“Okay, well, um, how are you guys, with kids?” Kirk asked awkwardly. He had to know before he put the children under the Augments’ control permanently. “I mean, because there’s certain standards that would be expected, although there’s a lot of cultural variation in this area—“

People were blinking at him without comprehension, but Kirk could imagine a lot of bad things happening in an Augment-dominated society, that they might consider perfectly normal but which he couldn’t endorse on his ship. Finally Ruby leaned up to whisper in Khan’s ear, and the man rolled his eyes.

“We do not abuse or molest children, Kirk,” he said in disgust. Kirk did not find it unreasonable to check, or to make sure they were all defining those things the same way. “I am certain it will be easy to conform to your _standards_.” His tone suggested this was a low bar.

Kirk was pretty certain McCoy would be in favor of it. “Spock?” he checked.

“An illogical course of action,” Spock decreed. “But not unpredictable.” Was that positive or negative? “If the children are responsibly cared for, they should cause no more inconvenience than the Augments, and will be only temporary passengers.”

Now _that_ was definitely a positive, and Kirk grinned at him suddenly. When Spock agreed with something he knew it was going to work out—illogical as that was. “Okay, so we keep the kids,” he determined, “and _you_ take care of them.” He tried to charge the Augments sternly with their responsibilities but they were too busy giving celebratory hugs to each other. Khan even allowed himself a mild smile.

But they could celebrate fully later, right now there were important details to discuss. “Captain, we’ll need all the medical information they have on hybrids,” Hamish told him urgently, “and anything else they’ll give us on both species, just in case.”

“I think we should have some cultural artifacts and history from their planet as well,” Ruby decided thoughtfully, “so they can learn about their heritage.”

“Their heritage rejected them,” Khan scoffed. “We will need more private quarters, Kirk,” he went on authoritatively. “Children cannot be raised in a cargo bay.”

“I was just thinking that--” Kirk assured him, trying to get a word in edgewise.

“We can organize a school!” Ruby planned excitedly.

“And they can help with the garden,” Hamish added. “They’ll love that, helping to grow their own food—“

“The tribble farm will be off-limits,” Khan warned. “My breeding experiments are very delicate—“

“Maybe before we start painting the nursery,” McCoy interrupted with a grin, “you should actually _tell_ the kids first.”

This was a well-received idea but Kirk had to cut in. “Or maybe, er, ask them,” he countered.

This put a damper on the whole room. “Ask them?” Khan repeated acidly. “How could there possibly be a choice between—“

“I’m just saying, at least _ask_ ,” Kirk insisted. “We don’t know what they want. Maybe they’re traumatized by being in space and just want to go to a planet. Maybe they don’t want to be pioneers.” It wasn’t unreasonable, anyway.

Khan disagreed. Fortunately Ruby saw Kirk’s point. “No, that’s a good idea,” she asserted more soberly. “They should know what they’re in for and get to decide.”

“As you like,” Khan dismissed. Clearly he didn’t think the outcome was in doubt. “We will take Isannah, yes?” The other two agreed immediately.

“So you know you can’t just have sex whenever and wherever you want now, right?” Kirk checked. “If you have a kid around.”

Khan rolled his eyes. “ _Yes_ , Kirk,” he replied pointedly. “You and Lt. Uhura will have to watch something else for entertainment.”

“Hey—“

“Captain, perhaps you should proceed,” Spock interrupted, just a little frosty after Khan’s remark. “The Bezosians are awaiting our answer.”

“Right. Spock, take the Bridge. Bones, figure out what we need to know about the kids,” Kirk delegated.

“And _we_ shall go and see the children,” Khan declared. He took Ruby’s hand and the Augments headed out the door. Kirk followed; no way was he going to miss this.

The children were in Sickbay, which had been their home base since they came on the ship. Ariel, Bastet, and several other Augments were looking after them; they and the older children glanced up nervously as Khan entered. They knew they had reached the planet and what this would mean, under ordinary circumstances.

Khan proceeded to the table where Isannah and the oldest boy, Solon, were coloring, and dismissed Shiloh, the Augment who was sitting with them. Kirk noticed she didn’t go far. Khan sat down and faced the children solemnly.

“We have reached your planet,” he announced. “You may now choose where to live. You may go to your planet and live in an orphanage, or you may stay with us on the _Enterprise_.”

The options seemed to throw everyone—those who were able listened intently, Ariel trying to shush Shayla’s exuberance by cuddling her. “Choose?” Isannah repeated in confusion.

“If you stay on the _Enterprise_ ,” Khan went on, “we will look after you. The Augments. You will become part of our family, and when we reach our planet, you will help us tame it. This may be difficult,” he warned. “There will be unexpected dangers and much hard work. And space travel can be equally dangerous.”

Isannah nodded. That, she knew. “But on our planet, we would live in an orphanage?” she asked. “What about… our families?”

“You were correct in your earlier assessment,” Khan informed her. “They don’t want you.” Kirk made a noise behind him, finding that a little blunt. Khan turned his head towards Kirk exactly five degrees, a gesture that clearly said, _Shut up, I’m handling this_. “You are superior to them,” Khan continued to Isannah. “Your parents were of two different species and you retain the best attributes of both. On the planet, their small minds find you threatening. So you would live in an orphanage, and likely have to leave the planet as adults.”

“Khan—“ Ariel began, and Khan raised his hand to silence him, eyes never leaving Isannah. If she chose to leave—chose for _all_ of them to leave—Kirk did not want to be the one to pry Shayla from Ariel’s arms.

Isannah seemed to have some grasp of the importance of her decision, more than Kirk thought _he_ would have at her age. “Or we could stay on the ship, with you,” she suggested, and Khan nodded. “Would all of us stay?”

“Yes,” Khan assured her. “An Augment would take care of each of you. At least one,” he added dryly. “And when we found a planet to inhabit, you would join us, as our children.”

Kirk thought he knew what Isannah would choose for herself. But like a good leader, she took a look around at her followers first. Ariel was always with Shayla, Bastet with Ruffin; each child had attracted an Augment or two, though granted a few Augments didn’t seem very interested in them. Of course, she didn’t know their history on Earth; it seemed rather grim for a child but Kirk suddenly wondered if it would make a difference to her.

Though it hadn’t made a difference to _him_ , in giving his permission to keep the children.

Suddenly Isannah burst into a grin. “I would like to stay with _you_!” she told Khan.

For a moment he smiled in response, a real smile with no hint of arrogance, one that suggested an entirely different past, and he held out his arms and Isannah flung herself at him. “Good,” Khan finally pronounced, holding her close. “You will stay with me, and Ruby and Hamish.” The other two were eager to share the hug.

Shiloh knelt down by Solon at the table. “Will you stay with me, honey?” she asked him, and he nodded with relief, chubby arms going around her neck.

On the floor Shayla squawked, and Ariel laughed and let her toddle away—she was too young to understand the decision that had been made and wanted to go back to playing. He brushed at his damp eyes, unable to keep the grin off his face as he coaxed her back with a toy. All around the room Augments were solidifying their claims to children—peacefully, Kirk noted, with some agreeing to share. With nine children and seventeen Augments Kirk felt the kids would have their hands full.

“Hey, that’s great!” he told Isannah. “Welcome to the _Enterprise_. You guys are going to be running this place soon.”

The girl broke away from Hamish to give Kirk a hug, only slightly bruising as Ruby murmured, “Gentle…”

“Thank you, Captain Jim! Oh, sorry. We won’t be any trouble at all!” Isannah promised.

“Oh, you can’t be any more trouble than this guy,” Kirk claimed, nodding at Khan. He gave her a stern look. “But there’s lots of rules about living on a starship, so you don’t get hurt,” he warned, and Isannah nodded seriously.

“We will care for them,” Khan promised, more for Isannah’s benefit as she hugged him again. He met Kirk’s gaze over her head. “Thank you, Kirk.”

“Thank you, Captain!” Ruby echoed, throwing her arms around Kirk with joy.

“Well, you’re welcome.” It wasn’t every day he could help create families, he supposed. A glance around the room showed that a lot of hugging was going on and Kirk decided to delegate his share, carefully extricating himself. “I’d better get back to the Bridge and finish up,” he said, and escaped out the door.

**Author's Note:**

> That's all for Khan! Thanks for reading.


End file.
